The Monument-National in 2008
A fundraising event in 1890 for the construction of the Monument-National

The Monument-National is an historic Canadian theatre located at 1182 Saint Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Quebec. With a capacity of over 1,600 seats, the venue was erected between 1891 and 1894 and was originally the cultural centre of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society.

The building was designed by Maurice Perrault, Albert Mesnard, and Joseph Venne in the Renaissance Revival style and utilizes a steel frame—a building technique that was innovative for its time.[1]

Yiddish theatre

The first performance of a Yiddish play was held there in what is now the theatre's Ludger-Duvernay room in the winter of 1896. The Monument-National was a key cultural landmark in Montreal's historic Jewish quarter, and it continued to host productions from touring and local Yiddish theatre companies until the 1940s.[2][3][4]

Renovations and current status

The theatre was declared a historic monument by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec in 1976[1] and a National Historic Site in 1985.[5]

A major restoration project of the theatre was completed in June 1993 in time for the theatre's centennial celebration. The 1,620-seat theatre has been owned by the National Theatre School of Canada since 1971, and it is the venue used for its productions.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Le Monument-National. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Boulevard Saint-Laurent: Corridor for Immigration, Business and Development". Parks Canada. April 15, 2009. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Looking Back : Monumental". National Theatre School of Canada Web site. Spring 2004. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Interactive Museum of Jewish Montreal". Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  5. ↑ Monument National National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  6. ↑ Gilles Potvin. "Monument-National". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on March 6, 2005.

45°30′33″N 73°33′45″W / 45.5091°N 73.5625°W / 45.5091; -73.5625

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